Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1887-10-14

Mrs Rayner in the drlwing-pom |
Laurence and Mrs. Manners arrived, |
having heard the gha,tly news alre:d,. |
| They took us over to the Nicarag. 1t |!
once. and never entered the Aides |
! again.
In the evening Laurence told me all !
| about the discovery. The gardener,
who had done little work for the last
few days beyond keeping the CAT. /
locked and driving away with Il whip !
the hoys who would swarm over when
they GOT i chance. lust 10 have a lock
al the place. had been attracted that
morning by the shrill cries of Nom,
who. now more neglected than ever,
spent all day in the garden in spite of
the fog. He ran to the pond, where
she was nearly always to be found,a and
whence her cries came, fearing sheEad
fallen i'll. But he found her standing
in the mud on the edge of it, screaming:
Come out, como out.' and clutching
with stick at an object in the water
1t was the body of her father entanalcd
among the reeds.
The down-trodden grass and rushcs at
that corner of the pond nearest to the
stile which joined the path through the
plantation to the path throug h the field
beyond told the story of how he must
have missed his way coming through
the plantation in the dense fog Of
Wednesday night, on his way back
from the hall to the Alders, slipped
into the pond, and been drowned out
there in the fog and darkness, while his
dog Nap, hearing his cry for hefp, had
tried in vain by bowling and barking,
to draw attention to his masters need.
1t was an awful thing that night to
lie awake in my strange room at the
Ficarage, and picture to myself the
dead Mr. Rayner lying at the Alders,
the sole occupant. with the exception
of the -spoma an hirad- to maiAlLy-Ai,aa-
of the big, dreary house where he. with
his love of fun and laughter, had
seemed to me to be the one ray of
brightness.
heard next day that two passages,
booked in the name of "Mr and Mrs.
Norris, had actually been taken by him
on board a ship which left Liverpool
for New York on the very Thursday
when we were to have started on our
journey ito Monaco" The tickets
were found upon him. and also the
necklace, which proved to be a val
liable ornament of rubies that had be-
longed to Mrs. Cunningham, which he
had clasped round my neck on the
night of his death, but which l had
flung upon the floor These were the
only ones. of all the stolen Jewels
which were ever recovered, with the
exception of the diamond pendant,
which l sent back to its owner, Lord
Dalston. Upon the house being
searched, the candle which had fallen
from my hand when / first went into
the cellar under the stOre-roOm was
found under the stagnant water there,
and also the brown portmantcau. which
was identified as one belonging to Sir
Jonas Mills; but the jewels, with the ex-
ception of stray drop from an ear
ring, had disappeared.
Gordon wrote from America to his
former master, Mr.. Carruthcrs, apollo
giving for his hasty departure. Moth
ing more was heard of him under that
name, but some time afterward o rep
rcsentative of the United States Con-
gress, who was described as a rich
West India merchant, made a great
sensation by very impressive speech
upon some financial question; rough
sketch of him in New York illus
trated paper fell into the hands of MIR.
Carruthers. who ,S9nt it to Laurence.
ana Under the trinity cIn mustache and
hair parted very much on one side we
fancied we recognized something like
the clear cut features and bland ex-
preston of our old friend Gordon.
Twas married to Laurence before the
trial of poor Tom Parkes and of the
| subordinate who had been caught re-
moving the plate from the hall. had
to give evidence, and was so much
distressed at having to do so, that
Tom, good-natured to the last. called
out:
Don't take on SO, miss. LOr' bless
you, you can't say any worse than
they know! It's only matter of
| form"
He took stolid sort of glory in his
iniquities. pleaded Guilty" to the
| charges brought against him of taking
an active part in all three robberies,
and exulted especially in the neatness
of the execution IT the robbery at Den
ham Court, where the various articles
stolen were being quietly distracted
one by one ut different times, by Cor
don for two or three days before the
Tuesday. when they were finally car
ricd of by Mr.. Rayner. and taken by
him and Tom to the Alders where
Sarah had received them. as I had
| seen.
| AS to what had become of the Jewels
aftcrward Tom professed himself as
innocent as a child; but whether this
was true or not, nobody believed him.
He was sentenced to fourteen years
penal servitude, and he did not hear
the sentence with half so much concern
as l.
Poor Mrs Rayncr never entirely
shook off the gloomy reserve which
had grown round her during those
long years of her miserable marriage.
Kind-heartcd Sir Jonas Mills was
among the very first to come forward
to help her; and. by his generous as
sistance and that of other friends, she
went to live abroad, taking Haidee
with her, and Jane, who proved a
most devoted servant and friend.
Laurence and ], who were married
before she left England, undertook
the care of poor little savage Mona,
who has grown into almost as nice
child as her sister. And now l have